Malcolm Merlyn's Amazing Discovery
by mjf2468
Summary: What if Malcolm, not satisfied with the police's decision regarding Oliver not being the vigilante in episode 1 x 5 and supported by various events, traps Oliver, forcing him to reveal his abilities and thus his secret identity. Will Oliver be able to escape, and will they be able to stop the Undertaking? Canon until after "Betrayal", episode 1 x 13.
1. Chapter 1

S1, Ep13

6 Feb. 2013

 **Betrayal**

Summary: Takes place after "Betrayal", episode 1 x 13. What if Malcolm, not satisfied with the police's decision regarding Oliver not being the vigilante in episod and supported by various events, traps Oliver, forcing him to reveal his abilities and thus his secret identity.

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Welcome to a new story of mine. This AU will focus on Malcolm and Oliver. Like most of my stories, this one probably wouldn't be very long either, but we shall see where it goes and how exactly will canon be changed. Hope you stick with me for the ride.**

Malcolm was in his office at the twenty-second floor of the Merlyn Global high-rise, as he usually was for at least fifteen hours of the day. But this time his mind was heavy with a topic not completely related to his business.

Oliver Queen. The young man who Merlyn had spent many a day wishing was his own son, instead of the often milquetoast, undisciplined son he did have. Oliver had often been the instigator of the many pranks both boys had gotten into over the years, but he still had more potential than Tommy ever would. Oliver Queen had a backbone to him, even if he allowed the girl Laurel Lance to steamroll most of his decisions at times. Merlyn could see Oliver having a life purpose planned out. Tommy more or less skated through life, letting it take him wherever it did. Merlyn was afraid Tommy would never take anything other than partying seriously.

That boy, Oliver. Tough, rebellious, but living the life of a playboy, went off on the yacht unexpectantly with his father, and almost got killed. Occasionally, throughout the five years Oliver was missing, Malcolm questioned whether he'd have followed through with his plan to sabotage the yacht and kill his long-time friend Robert Queen if he'd known Oliver was also going to be on board. At those times, Merlyn pushed away the regret he felt and reminded himself everything was for Rebecca. In the end, the means will always be justified. Even the sacrifice of a young man with such great potential as Oliver Queen.

However, Oliver ended up not being killed. Instead, he was seemingly resurrected five years later and returned home. Returned home with a different personality, but still returned, to the joy of his mother and sister. And step-father.

Upon Oliver's return the first thing on Merlyn's agenda was contacting Moira and asking her how he could be sure Oliver didn't know anything about the Undertaking, knew nothing his father had known. While Malcolm was concerned Robert may have told Oliver about the Undertaking, Moira assured him her baby boy didn't know anything, but Malcolm insisted on proof. So, Moira cooked up the scheme of having him kidnapped and tortured for the information. She was under the impression her boy would naturally be easily scared into giving up such information before any torture would truly be necessary. Thus, no long-lasting effects to Oliver, while Malcolm's concerns would be addressed.

However, the plan didn't go exactly how Moira had expected. Instead, several interesting events occurred. Suddenly, a man dressed like Robin Hood appeared, hunting people seemingly indiscriminatingly at first, then too specific for Merlyn's comfort. It was impossible, but it appeared this hood had the list Merlyn had developed of those individuals who'd be beneficial to the Undertaking. But how could that be? How would a criminal get ahold of the list?

Were the two events connected? Oliver and this vigilante? With his first appearance, this unknown vigilante had saved Oliver compared to his later appearances where he threatened other one-percenters in the city. That inconsistency began to bother Malcolm more and more. Leading to tonight.

All his questions had gradually led to his wondering if the police did get it right and that Robert and Moira Queen's son, the young man Merlyn had known all his life, was actually the vigilante. At first it just seemed too unbelievable. He didn't think Robert had a heroic bone to pass along to his son, even though Moira had enough gumption to pass along to ten sons. But the soft upbringing Oliver had led was not conducive to developing such a persona.

However, Oliver _was_ gone for five years. Five years could be a very long time, and not knowing what circumstances the young man had to live under, anything could have happened. A hero could emerge where once was a spoiled, weak playboy.

Malcolm rose from his desk and angrily pushed the office chair into his mahogany desk. No matter how unreasonable and unbelievable such thinking appeared to be on the surface, his subconscious mind refused to let it go. So, instead of allowing one more minute spent in trying to talk himself out of it, Merlyn instead set his resolve into settling the argument once and for all. He would set up another 'kidnapping' for the young man, but this time he himself would hire the men and would be there watching it go down. If Oliver would again display abilities similar to the vigilante's, then his question would be answered. And…at the same time having captured his rival, preventing any further interference with his plans. Thus, two objectives taken care of in one swoop.

Malcolm smiled grimly while looking at the darkening sky over Starling City. He didn't look forward to hurting Moira once again, but if her son was determined to interfere with the Undertaking, like his father, unfortunately he would also have to die like his father.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Oliver woke up mid-morning, happy and surprised he had gotten several extra hours of sleep the night before. He raised himself into a sitting position on the side of the bed and stretched. Thinking of all he had to do that day, he sighed and slowly got up. After his shower and getting dressed, he ate a healthy breakfast made by Raisa, wished her a good day, and left.

Oliver headed for Verdant, having to get some business done there. He wasn't aware of it, but several very well-trained assassins were following him in a light blue van. Before he knew it, Oliver had reached Verdant, parked his bike in the back alley behind the nightclub and began to walk towards the door.

His senses became aware of trouble seconds before he felt the small, tell-tale pinch in his neck. He quickly swung towards the perceived threat, trying to hold off three men he saw approaching through dimming vision. He was only able to perform one roundhouse kick, disabling one of the men, before he was grabbed by the other two, his arms forced behind his back. He found himself pushed to the ground, forced to kneel on the gravel. A bag was placed over his head, and then darkness overcome him.

Unseen by Oliver, Malcolm was hidden by garbage dumpsters. He watched the scene with interest. He reprimanded himself for using such a quick-acting tranquilizer on Oliver, cutting the fight short. Well, he thought resignedly, Oliver will surely attempt to escape when questioned. Also, that kick was highly impressive for a young man who supposedly never trained.

The plan was to continue to hide from view and to observe Oliver's actions while his best man took over the role of interrogator. Merlyn rode in the van with Oliver and his men, but took a hiding place with an excellent view of the upcoming interrogation once they reached the warehouse. He watched as the men he had hired, who were clearly the professionals they claimed to be, carried Oliver to a chair, tied him to it, and positioned themselves strategically around it while they waited for their 'guest' to wake up.

When he regained consciousness, Oliver wasn't surprised to find himself tied a chair, not unlike the time he and Tommy had been attacked when he first returned. Looking around the room, it appeared to be in the basement portion of some warehouse. Insulated well, windows located high up near the ceiling, no outside noises heard. Meaning the building was made in such a way that no noises could be heard outside as well.

Oliver met the eyes of the man standing right in front of him. He had sandy blond hair cut short. His brown eyes considered Oliver as he waited for Oliver to react to the situation. Oliver moved his look to the other men standing on either side of the first man. One was almost as large as Diggle, also black, without an expression on his face. The other man was also blonde, standing also at attention, waiting for…waiting for something, Oliver supposed.

Oliver wondered whether this snatch was still Queen-related or hood-related, but he didn't have to wait long to find out. The first question answered it.

"What did your father tell you before he died?"

 _Whoever is behind this is bound and determined for me to tell them something. Not much to tell. Except for the book, and I am not going to tell them anything about that._

Just in case someone different was behind this kidnapping from the previous one with Tommy, Oliver decided to play this one straight. "He didn't tell me anything. Except to live."

The sandy haired man stepped forward and slapped him. "No. He must have told you something. He was about to die. Didn't he want to confess something?"

Making his face appear as innocent as he could, Oliver asked, "What do you think he should have confessed? I already knew he'd had affairs."

His interrogator punched him several times in the stomach, the second punch almost sending him and the chair backwards. The black man had stepped forward quick enough to catch it, and to straighten it back up.

"Mr. Queen, we know you're lying. Do you really want to see how far we will go to get the answers we desire from you? I assure you, it will hurt if you continue to provoke us."

Oliver reviewed what he thought he knew of the situation. It appeared it was the same people who had abducted him the first time. Something tugged at the very bottom of his subconscious, but it refused to come into the light so he'd become aware of it. These goons were beginning to irritate him, so he decided he no longer wanted to continue to play the game.

Having snapped the ties binding his hands, Oliver brought the chair through his legs in front of him, broke it apart, giving himself a weapon of two wooden stakes, each six inches long. He struck out at the interrogator, catching him alongside the head and knocking him into the wall. Due to the momentum, the man seemingly bounced off the wall, knocking the other side of his head, and falling over, unconscious. Two other men rushed Oliver, who took them down with only several more blows to each of them. As he turned towards the stairs, to make his escape, he was met with the sight of a man dressed in a black hood hiding his face, and a long overcoat, holding a bow cocked with an arrow aimed directly at him. The Dark Archer.

"I would advise you, Mr. Queen, not to move and to put the remnants of the chair on the ground. Now."

Oliver waited a second, then quickly approached the man, the wooden parts of the chair striking out aiming for the bow as well as vulnerable parts of the man's anatomy, trying to disarm him as well as get the upper hand. The other archer was distracted for only a second. He then fired two subsequent arrows at Oliver, who dodged the first one, but the second arrow found its mark in Oliver's left upper arm. As he spared a glance at the wound but quickly returned his attention to the other archer, another arrow narrowly missed hitting him on the right side, going into the wall right behind him instead. Without his bow, Oliver was significantly outclassed.

Oliver slowly held his hands up then lowered himself to the floor to place the wooden sticks on the ground. He straightened up and looked at the other archer. "What happens now? You kill me? I don't even know who you are." Inside his head, Oliver was reprimanding himself for displaying fighting tactics which Oliver Queen would never have. And he demonstrated them in front of the Black Archer, enemy of the Hood, no less.

The archer looked beyond Oliver and nodded. Two of his soldiers approached Oliver, grabbed him by the arms and led him out of the room. The other archer followed as they went down the hall. After several twists and turns, they entered another room. Oliver was led to the far wall, which was made of cement. Chains were connected to the wall, with manacles at their ends, which were placed around Oliver's wrists and ankles.

"Given who you are, I decided such extreme measures are called for," the other archer said, meeting Oliver's questioning look.

Adapting a look of innocence, as well as throwing in a splash of the playboy arrogance, Oliver said, "Not sure what you mean." Looking around the room, taking in the sparse surroundings and the cement floors, Oliver said, "Not exactly the Carlton, is it?"

The dark archer gave a short chuckle. "Amusing. No, Mr. Queen, I was not referring to your playboy identity. I was actually referring to your vigilante identity."

Despite being surprised by the remark, Oliver desperately clung to the passive expression he had on his face during his previous comments. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. you are the mysterious vigilante who has been haunting Starling City for the past months."

Oliver noted it was said with supreme confidence, not as a question. Who was in front of him making such an accusation? And how did this person find out?

"Me? The vigilante? I guess you missed the news a few months ago. The police ruled me out as the vigilante back then."

The man in black shook his head slowly. "If that's correct, why would a millionaire's worthless son be able to fight like what you've just done? And if the police suspected you of being the Hood, there must be a reason for it." Letting out a sigh, the man said in a bored tone, "As the cliché goes, where there is smoke…."

Suddenly cold shivers went down Oliver's back. He suddenly got the impression from the man in front of him that this entire incident of being kidnapped and interrogated was more of a test. Or a trap. One he totally fell right into.

"Oh, you mean the using the chair as a weapon? Just something my bodyguard taught me. For my own protection, since I've had several kidnapping attempts and threats. You know, simple stuff. Anyone could do it."

"No, not anyone. Only someone with a particular set of skills. Like the vigilante."

"Well, I just have to disagree, because, to be honest, even though I wish I could be the vigilante, I mean, it would be a pretty neat trick to attract the chicks, but I really am not." Oliver hoped his playboy personae would again help him get out of a tight spot.

Unfortunately, the next thing Oliver was aware of was being forced against the wall, his head angled up towards the ceiling, and his oxygen was being cut off by the large hand of his captor.

"This is what's going to happen. You will tell me everything you know about the Undertaking, including what your father told you before he died. As well as what you've discovered as the vigilante. Then you'll remain my guest for the next several months until the Undertaking is complete. Then and only then, provided you've been a model guest, you will be released."

Looking down into his attacker's eyes, Oliver gasped out, "Again, I don't know what you mean. What is this Undertaking?" He inhaled sharply as the Dark Archer pressed even tighter on his throat.

"I'm warning you, Mr. Queen, for the very last time. That better be the last lie you try to tell me, or, even though I do have the highest respect for you and your family, I will seriously express my anger." The man suddenly released his hold, and Oliver found his body collapsing to the ground without the support.

Something about his kidnapper was ringing familiar to Oliver, but he couldn't yet put a finger on it. He straightened up, and reminded himself he needed to continue the playboy personae. So he swallowed the anger and defiance which had welled up inside him, and said, with a sufficient amount of assumed fear, "I can't tell you what I don't know. I really don't know what this Undertaking is. As for my father? He certainly hadn't mentioned any such thing," which was true, "and his death happened so quickly there wasn't any time for him to tell me anything." _Like hell am I going to tell this guy about the notebook._

Oliver watched as the man's blue eyes grew darker as he glared at Oliver. Something about the dark, dangerous look reminded Oliver of…then he lost any clue as to what he was thinking of.

"Well, if I'm proven wrong, I'll stand corrected. However, I must rule out all threats to my plans. So…a few days here in this cell without food or water, and we'll judge which one of us is correct. As well as what you have learned masquerading as the vigilante."

Oliver watched as the Dark Archer turn and leave the cell. The door slammed shut and Oliver heard what sounded on a wooden board placed across it. As well as a lock being turned.

Oliver pulled against the chains as hard as he could. He knew it was futile, but it was always a smart idea not to leave any possibility unexamined. As expected, the chains didn't move a millimeter out of the wall.

An unbidden thought crossed his mind. Too bad he didn't take Diggle's suggestion to place trackers within his clothes and shoes seriously.

 **AN: So, what you think? Hope you found it entertaining. Like I said, not sure where I will go with this, how much canon will end up changed or not. Glad you decided to join me on this journey, and hope you return for the next chapter when I post it. Again, thanks for reading, and always appreciate any kindness with posting a review as well.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thanks for returning. Chapter one had the greatest reception, so I do thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows. Always so appreciated. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. So sorry it took longer than I would've wanted to get it out.**

Previously:

 _Oliver watched as the Dark Archer turn and leave the cell. The door slammed shut and Oliver heard what sounded on a wooden board placed across it. As well as a lock being turned._

 _Oliver pulled against the chains as hard as he could. He knew it was futile, but it was always a smart idea not to leave any possibility unexamined. As expected, the chains didn't move a millimeter out of the wall._

 _An unbidden thought crossed his mind. Too bad he didn't take Diggle's suggestion to place trackers within his clothes and shoes seriously._

For the first time, Oliver took a careful, measured look around his prison. It was a stereotypical cell. Cement walls, one small, barred window way out of reach, and a cement floor. No furnishings whatsoever. Just a bucket within reach in the corner next to him. And the door. One door, made of very sturdy wood, locked securely.

After examining everything and not finding anything useful, for now, Oliver sat down on the cold cement floor, his back against the brick wall. He pulled his legs up and rested his arms on his knees. Luckily the chains restraining his arms were long enough for him to sit down. Looking again at the bucket in the corner of the room, but within arm's reach, he thought, _I suppose not being chained tightly to the wall is more for nature calls than for my comfort. Whatever the reason, I'm thankful. Would rather not stand all the time, that's for sure._

The thought that the look the Dark Archer had given him stumbled into his mind once again. Why did it seem familiar? It made him feel like he was ten years old, and scared….

His throat went suddenly dry. A memory of a ten-year-old Oliver getting into trouble with Tommy's father for including Tommy in a prank which resulted in both of them being dispelled from school. The reaction from Oliver's own father hadn't been half as frightening as the glare Malcolm Merlyn had given him for influencing his only son in such a disgraceful manner, resulting in being dispelled like a commoner.

Could it be… _Could_ Malcolm Merlyn, respected businessman, one of Starling's own elite, be the mysterious Dark Archer?

Oliver shook his head. The notion was just too… _crazy_ to be true. But…something about the Dark Archer did ring familiar with Oliver. And not just his eyes.

Reviewing every bit of all the interactions he had had with the Archer, Oliver remembered the other thing which was bothering him. Just now, in the fight, Oliver had noticed the man's sleeve tugged up, revealing a…T. But what if it were really a cross instead? At first, all Oliver could think of was seeing what looked like a line in red, with another line perpendicular to it, looking like a 'T'. But perhaps it continued down his arm, forming a cross, underneath his sleeve?

Tommy had told Oliver stories about that birthmark, the red cross of Merlyn, he called it, which both father and son had on their arms. He explained his father had told him that it connected them both to the Merlin of King Arthur legend. Because all the Merlyn men inherited the birthmark. Tommy of course scoffed at such nonsense, but it did prove often enough to be an icebreaker with some of the female persuasion during some of the boys' drunken adventures.

And now, it proved a different purpose. It proved that Oliver's captor was indeed Malcolm Merlyn. But why? What was his connection to the Undertaking?

A jolt went through Oliver. Merlyn was supposedly one of his father's best friends. If the person behind the undertaking was in fact responsible for the sabotage of the yacht…it meant his father was killed by his own best friend.

His temples beginning to spasm, Oliver let his head fall into his hands, the chains clanging as he brought his hands up to his face. _So not only my father, but Tommy's father involved as well in this mess? As well as possibly my own mother? How? How is this all possible?_

If this were all true, then what next? As he remains imprisoned by Merlyn, his team not aware of where he is, and he knowing who his enemy actually is. Should he confront Merlyn with his accusation? Would it help or hurt his situation, to appeal to the long-standing friendship, and thus loyalty, between the Merlyns and Queens?

But no, that wouldn't work. Merlyn murdered his father despite that so-called friendship. Perhaps, in order to survive this, Oliver had to hide the fact he knew it was Malcolm under the mask. At least, as long as possible.

And there was the matter of Merlyn's parting remarks. Apparently a few days of hunger and thirst were meant to soften him up for the torture ahead. Of course, Merlyn didn't know the type of man he was dealing with. Oliver had withstood worse torture than a few days of hunger and thirst. However, did he really want to reveal that to Merlyn? But what could Oliver reveal to him that would satisfy Merlyn's curiosity about his knowledge of the Undertaking? And truly, what did Oliver really know? Only bits and pieces which were still not giving him the entire picture of the entire operation. But probably significant enough to mean, at the very least, his imprisonment if not his very death by the hand of his father's friend.

But not without a fight. After all, Oliver Queen survived more than that to return as a vigilante. He wasn't going to allow anyone, much less a family friend, prevent him from protecting his city.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

"Where is he, Felicity?" Dig asked, coming to her side and hitting the desk beside her with an angry fist.

Felicity glared at the larger man. "I told you, Dig, I'm trying the best I can. At least I was able to find that footage of him being taken."

Dig combed his hair through his sheared hair. "I know, I know, Felicity," he said in a softer voice. "I'm sorry. I…."

Felicity reached over and patted Dig's clenched fist. "Yes, Dig, I feel the same way. We'll find him."

Dig sighed. "And to think he laughed when I suggested putting trackers in everything he owed."

Suddenly Felicity hit herself in the forehead. "That's it!" Her fingers flew across the keyboard and different screens flitted across the computer monitor. "I can't guarantee this will work, but I'm surprised I didn't remember this before. I'm so sorry I didn't, Diggle, I just don't know what I was thinking…"

"I do believe this is the first time I've seen you ramble and hack at the same time," Digg said as he looked over her shoulder but not understanding what she was doing as different screens flashed across the monitor.

Felicity stopped and turned to look at Dig. "What? Oh, yeah, I was doing that, wasn't I?" Returning her attention to her keyboard, she worked in silence until she raised her fist in the air and cried "Got it!"

"Got what, Felicity?"

"Oliver's location. He's in a warehouse at the other side of the Glades. So close, he was. Urgg. Here." After writing something, Felicity handed the paper to Dig. "That's where he is. I reverse pinged his phone, to see if I could get a location on him. Thanks to the little bug I planted on his phone earlier this week, I was able to do so. Thank God I did that." She swallowed. "I'm rambling again."

Dig kissed the top of her head. "It doesn't matter how you got it, you did get it. I'm going to go and get our boy."

"Wait!" Felicity cried, but not taking her eyes or hands off what she was doing. "Don't you want me to check it out first?"

"Why don't you do that while I get there. Oliver's been with him long enough. Who knows what's been happening to him."

"Be careful," Felicity called after him as he went up the stairs. "Don't go in until I give you the information." Felicity sighed, shaking her head. _It sure is difficult sometimes working with these hard-headed men._

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Diggle stood outside the building where Felicity said Oliver was being held. He had observed it for an hour, watching whatever activity was taking place. In the meantime, Felicity was able to hack into the building's security computer and informed Diggle that she had found out one heat signature appeared to be in the basement of the building, while four others were making regular rounds on the first floor. A sixth heat signature appeared to have spent much of the time in a separate room, but then had gone to the basement once, and once to where the other heat signatures were.

"One op is on the move. He's heading out the back door," Felicity said over the comms.

"Copy that," Diggle said as he trained his binoculars on the back of the building. Suddenly he couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him. Malcolm Merlyn himself was leaving the building.

"Holy crap, it's Malcolm Merlyn himself."

"What? Why is he there? And here I thought it was the Dark Archer." Dig could tell Felicity was disappointed.

"You sure about the address?" Dig asked, knowing he was risking his teammate's anger at such a question.

"Yes. I checked it three times before I gave it to you. Well, you go get the package. Maybe he will have more to shed on all of this."

"Okay, I'm heading for the back door."

Dig made his way around the building, hiding in the trees surrounding the building. Luckily there hadn't been any traffic coming or going from the surrounding buildings while he'd been watching. He entered the same door he's seen Merlyn exit the building, cautiously looking around the corner before moving further down the hallway.

Dig flattened against the wall as a man approached. Dig was able to silently grab him in a head-lock, applying just enough pressure to cause unconsciousness. He peeked into a doorway, and discovered a small closet, into which he dragged the man. Closing the door quietly, Dig peered around the corner and silently made his way down the hallway, ears peeled for any sounds giving away the presence of another guard.

Inside another room at the end of the hallway, one of the men was at a computer, his back to the door. Dig silently passed the doorway without drawing the man's attention and proceeded to the room at the end of the hallway. He flattened against the wall and peered around the corner. It was a very large room, apparently a former storeroom. Looking towards the back of the room, a door caught Dig's attention. It had a board across it, securing it, besides the heavy lock on it as well.

Dig approached it, removed the board and took out his picklock. Except that, before he could do more, Dig turned and caught the man approaching with an upper cut. The other man fought for a few minutes, struggling to subdue the intruder. Dig managed to get him in a chokehold. The man lost consciousness and Dig led him to the ground. The black man grimaced as he turned his attention back to the lock. In seconds flat he had it opened, revealing his partner inside chained to a wall.

"About time you showed up," the man in question said dryly as Dig approached him.

"Well, if you would allow us to place trackers on you…."

"Yeah, I'm convinced now. We will be doing that first thing. Once we get out of this place."

"Merlyn left some time ago."

"Oh?" Oliver raised his eyebrow as Dig was able to unlock the manacle around his left wrist. "So you know."

"That Malcolm is the Dark Archer? Felicity and I kinda figured that it was a strong possibility with Malcolm leaving the building." As he unlocked the right manacle, he asked, "So, we are correct?"

"He didn't reveal himself, but I…I guessed it from several clues. I'll explain later." Testing his legs, Oliver walked slowly towards the door. "Let's get the hell out of here."

 **AN: Will there be surprises on the way out? Or will our two heroes get out to be able to fight Malcolm and hopefully prevent the Undertaking? I hope you return to find out and as always, it is most appreciated if you leave a comment or review. Thanks so much!**


	3. Chapter 3: Possible Rescue

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Hey, thanks for returning and continuing to follow this slightly different story. I especially enjoyed writing some depth into Oliver's life with a glimpse into his childhood and relationship with Mr. Merlyn. Plus, I enjoyed letting Oliver figure Merlyn out. But…we shall see where we go from here. And oh dear, I do apologize for the length it took for me to get this out. Sigh. That muse just gets too busy sometimes. Unfortunately, real life did get in the way as well. I thank you for returning.**

Previously:

 _"_ _Merlyn left some time ago."_

 _"_ _Oh?" Oliver raised his eyebrow as Dig was able to unlock the manacle around his left wrist. "So you know."_

 _"_ _That Malcolm is the Dark Archer? Felicity and I kinda figured it was a strong possibility with Malcolm leaving the building." As he unlocked the right manacle, he asked, "So, we are correct?"_

 _"_ _He didn't reveal himself, but I…I guessed it from several clues. I'll explain later." Testing his legs, Oliver walked slowly towards the door. "Let's get the hell out of here."_

Even though they had been talking at a normal volume, Oliver flattened himself against the wall and slowly looked around the corner into the hallway, looking for possible dangers. Motioning to Dig, he led them into the larger room. Dig grabbed Oliver's forearm and whispered, "Shouldn't I lead?" Oliver nodded, acknowledging the wisdom in the suggestion because he didn't know the layout of the building and Dig did.

As they retraced Dig's footsteps, Oliver noted the unconscious men lying on the ground throughout the building. Suddenly he turned around and caught the man running towards them with an uppercut, followed by a punch to the stomach. Dig watched as the fourth man fell at their feet.

As Oliver looked at him, cocking an eyebrow, Dig shrugged. "He was busy on the computer. I thought it might draw an alarm if I'd gone into the room to knock him out."

Oliver rolled his eyes and Dig continued on his way, with Oliver keeping a look-out behind them. When they had reached the outside, Dig led Oliver down the block where he had hidden the van. They got in, and Oliver released a sigh of relief.

"I have to admit, I've never been as happy to see you as I was a few minutes ago."

Looking in the rear-view mirror, Dig pulled out of the parking spot, made a U-turn, and headed away from the house. "Happy to get you out of there, for sure. But what is our next step?" He increased the van's speed after he had gone a few blocks from the house, wanting to put as much distance as possible between them and Merlyn's goons.

Oliver ran his fingers through his short hair and blew out an angry sigh. "Not sure. I must be right, saying Merlyn is the Dark Archer. I recognized him, even though he was wearing a mask, by the glare he gave me as he threatened me. The same glare I got when we were young and I'd gotten Tommy and I in trouble."

At Dig's surprised "Oh?", Oliver continued. "It all fits, Dig. It's how my parents got involved, them being friends with the Merlyns for more years than I can count." Looking out the window, Oliver watched as the scenery flashed in front of him. "So, a friend of the family ends up being my father's killer. Who's now threatening God-knows-what to my city. And now knows who I am under the mask."

"So, in answer to my question, we don't know yet what to do next?" Dig said in a light tone, attempting to add levity to the situation.

Oliver glared at his friend, who only shrugged and smirked at him. Oliver rolled his eyes. "Well, smart ass, do _you_ have any ideas?"

Dig gave a cocky smile and shook his head. "No, that's why you're in charge of this little operation of ours. You got all the big ideas." Oliver only grunted in answer. "Well, at least we know we must know something useful, considering he tried to put you on ice, after all."

"But what exactly _do_ we know? Only that he and Mom are up to…something."

Dig, one hand on the wheel, rubbed his chin. "Considering he knows who you are, and he captured you behind Verdant, are we even safe working out of the Foundry?"

Oliver exhaled noisily as he rubbed his own chin vigorously. "Good point. However, it might have to do with me working at the nightclub, versus me being there for vigilante activities." As Dig was about to interrupt, Oliver hurried on. "Let me see if we can come up with an alternate place, just in case."

"We don't want to endanger Felicity any more than we already do," Dig answered.

Oliver turned to look out the side window, to allow the unjustified anger flaring up with Dig's words to cool down. To be fair, Dig had a valid point. If it were only Oliver, or Oliver and Diggle, they could chance it. But with Felicity…he didn't want to risk it. No matter what the chances are that Malcolm had indeed figured out their hideout's location.

"We could perhaps 'suggest' to Felicity she not come to the Foundry for a few days," Oliver offered.

"Man, that would be up to you to suggest. Me, I'm not going to do it. Felicity would lecture us for days if we dared to 'keep her safe'."

"But…."

"But, nothing, Oliver. Seriously, she wouldn't stand for it. I don't like it either, but…."

The men fell into an uneasy silence as they drove around to the back of Verdant. "Then again, Dig, even if Merlyn knows our hideout is here, our security is good." Dig gave him a look which expressed his doubt. Oliver shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. I'll start looking for a new hide-out tomorrow."

They entered the Foundry and went down the stairs. Of course, as soon as he hit the bottom step, Oliver was almost tackled by Felicity in her exuberance in seeing him. She hugged him, then she pulled away and slugged his muscular upper arm.

"Ow! What's that for?" Oliver gave her a hurt look at her sudden change of emotion.

"Don't pretend that hurt. Why didn't you let me know you were okay?"

"We were too busy getting away from Malcolm, Felicity," Dig explained.

Felicity looked between the two men. "So…it _is_ Merlyn, then?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. I recognized him under the mask when he got so angry he forgot his pretense for a moment and let the real man shine through."

Biting her lower lip, splitting her look between the two men, she asked, "So Merlyn knows who you are under the mask."

Adapting a fake positive attitude, Oliver said, "But at least he doesn't know we know who he is under the mask."

Felicity collapsed into her chair with a sigh. "So, we now need to figure out how to use _that_ to our advantage. Despite him knowing who you are, thus who _we_ are."

"If you no longer…." Oliver began to ask before Felicity flung herself into his face.

"You _better_ not finish that statement, Oliver _Jonas_ Queen, or I warn you, I will show you how deadly these fingers can be to your bank accounts."

Oliver turned towards Dig in time to catch the 'I told you so' glance the older man threw at him. Looking back down at Felicity, he said softly, "If you _are_ worried, you can skip this one."

"Like hell, Oliver, will I sit this one out! You and Dig need me to watch your backs. Besides, I'm not going to be afraid of a slimy bastard who hides behind a mask." At Dig's guffaw, and Oliver's raised eyebrow, Felicity babbled, "Well, you know, present company excluded, of course."

After listening to the two men chuckle, Felicity decided to change topics. "I'm sorry, I should've asked how you are. Did he hurt you?" she asked as she looked Oliver up and down. Her eyes caught his bloodied sleeve hiding the arrow wound on his left upper arm. She gasped and leaped to his side, gingerly rolling up the sleeve.

"It's just a scratch, Felicity."

Felicity rolled her eyes at Dig. "Not too bad, but it needs attention." Scowling at Oliver, she muttered, " _Just_ a scratch, the man says." She led Oliver by the sleeve to the med bay and began to pull at supplies to clean and dress the wound.

Dig came over and looked at it. "After you clean it, you want me to stich it up?" bringing Felicity back to reality.

Blushing, Felicity gave Dig a small smile. "Thanks for bringing me back to reality, Dig. Yeah, since you are a better sewer than me."

Before she could leave his side, Oliver grabbed Felicity's hand. Catching her gaze in his, he said softly, "Thank you for worrying about me."

"Always, Oliver," she responded in a similarly soft tone. "Any other injuries?" she asked as she threw the dirty bandages and her gloves away.

"Luckily there wasn't any more time, thanks to you two, for Merlyn to do more than initially tranq me, his goons slap me around some and punch me, and this arrow wound." Oliver stood still as Dig finished stitching him up and placed small tape bandages, otherwise known as steristripes, on the wound.

"So," Oliver said as he took a seat next to Felicity.

"Shouldn't you get some rest before we begin to solve our newest problem?" Felicity asked.

Oliver looked down his nose at her and she self-consciously shuffled in her seat. "You know me, I wouldn't be able to sleep without a game plan set for what we do now."

Felicity rolled her eyes, but Diggle said, "Come on, Oliver. With all you've gone through, you need to get some extra rest."

Felicity didn't bother controlling the childish urge to stick her tongue out at Oliver. He bit back a smile as he winked at Felicity. "Okay, you guys. I will go home to rest."

"At least four hours, all right?" Diggle asked, glaring at his younger partner.

"At least," Felicity parroted. She stood and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Her face lost all teasing, she said in an earnest tone, "Don't worry, Oliver. We will figure it all out, and help you 'save the day' once again." A smile again broke out across as her face as she added, "Maybe you will dream up a solution, you never know."

Oliver rolled his own eyes and they gathered their coats and walked out to their respective vehicles. As he got on his bike Oliver let out a sigh. With such faith from his team, how could they fail? However, at the moment, his mind was empty as to what their next step should be.

 **AN: Sorry it took so long, and it is shorter than I would like. Sometimes it helps the Muse to get a new chapter out, in order to jumpstart the next chapter with ideas. Hopefully it will work in this case. I have yet to decide how much canon to weave in. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks ever so much for reading and reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4: What's the Undertaking?

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this. Some dialogue from Arrow episode 1 x 22, "Darkness on the Edge of Town", written by Drew Z. Greenberg and Wendy Mericle. (Yes, since I'm now going AU, I'm picking and choosing scenes out of order from the rest of season one).

 **AN: Thank you for returning. Again, I sinceriously (anyone remember this word?) apologize for the length of time it took for me to update this. Real life and lack of cooperation from a stubborn muse were at fault. As I said above, I've decided not to stick with my original plan of going along the plot lines and simply changing where it would be different with Team Arrow knowing Malcolm knows who the Arrow is. So, I'm going to add the fun dialogue from various episodes here and there as it fits.**

Previously:

 _Felicity didn't bother controlling the childish urge to stick her tongue out at Oliver. He bit back a smile as he winked at Felicity. "Okay, you guys. I will go home to rest."_

 _"_ _At least four hours, all right?" Diggle asked, glaring at his younger partner._

 _"_ _At least," Felicity parroted. She stood and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Her face lost all teasing, she said in an earnest tone, "Don't worry, Oliver. We will figure it all out, and help you 'save the day' once again." A smile again broke out across as her face as she added, "Maybe you will dream up a solution, you never know."_

 _Oliver rolled his own eyes and they gathered their coats and walked out to their respective vehicles. As he got on his bike Oliver let out a sigh. With such faith from his team, how could they fail? However, at the moment, his mind was empty as to what their next step should be._

Oliver made good his promise to get at least four hours of sleep. In a rare circumstance, he was able to fall asleep rather quickly for once and rested. However, he did wake up four hours later, wide awake, staring into the darkness, wondering what their next step should be. Instead of trying to fall back asleep, Oliver got up and went for a jog. After a shower and morning clean-up he went in to the foundry.

Diggle joined him mid-afternoon. By then Oliver was crawling out of his skin with frustration, because none of his research on the computer merited any findings. They sparred with intermittent breaks until Felicity arrived from putting in a full day's work at QC.

"Let's review what we know," Dig said. "Bring us up to speed, Oliver."

"Well, Mom and Malcolm are involved with something called the Undertaking. Malcolm somehow has learned archery and is the Dark Archer. He is very dangerous and almost killed me at Christmas. And whatever this Undertaking is, he's willing to kill for it to occur."

"How would Merlyn think you knew something about this Undertaking? Why center on you?" Diggle asked.

Oliver snapped his fingers and pointed at Dig. "Excellent point!" Oliver walked around the desk. "What would make him look for the Hood?"

"Because the Hood is concentrating on people in your father's book. Which then could point to Walter," Felicity said.

Oliver silently put more pieces together. "That means – that means my mother knows more about Walter's kidnapping than she has let on."

"Do you think she was behind it? Do you think she also wanted your father killed?" Dig asked.

"And what about you, her own son?" Felicity added.

"No one knew I was going until I showed up that morning. Dad convinced Mom it was a good idea to let me go." Oliver's face showed a multiple of emotions. "She did put up an argument, but Dad…he convinced her it was a good idea."

"Why didn't your mother do something? Or do you think she didn't know about the planned accident until after it occurred?" Dig asked.

Letting his despair show in front of his friends for the first time, Oliver covered his face with his hands. "I…I don't know. It's just too terrible to comprehend." He looked up at his friends. "I simply don't know what to think. Not only his best friend, but his wife was also in the planning of my father's murder? I don't know."

"Merlyn could've planned it without your mother's knowledge, Oliver," Felicity said, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"It's possible." Oliver gave out another heavy sigh. "But from what all I'm learning, I rather doubt it."

"What do you want to do, Oliver?"

Oliver sat in thought, pursing his lips together tightly. "Since the last time I tried to talk to my mother didn't work, I think I will try it again. We need more information about what exactly this Undertaking is."

"I don't know. The last time the vigilante paid your mom a visit, you got shot, and I got to play doctor with you." Felicity slapped her hand to her forehead and shook her head. "Ahh! My brain thinks of the worst way to say things."

A small smile snuck onto Oliver's face before he stopped it. "This time it'll just be me asking. Friendly mother-son chat."

"Do you think that would work, Oliver? I don't know what would make your mother any more forthcoming," Dig said.

Oliver thought for a moment. "If she thinks her son is in danger of being beaten up or killed by the Hood, she would."

"What?" asked Felicity and Diggle simultaneously, both casting questioning looks at Oliver.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Moira Queen was in her formal sitting room looking out the window at the pristine lawns outside their home. She stared out, lost in thought, and didn't hear her son enter the room until he called.

"Mom?"

She looked up as Oliver walked towards her. She gave him a smile which didn't hide her nervousness away from him. "What is it, Dear?"

"You've never really answered what those names were in Dad's book."

Moira attempted but didn't succeed to hide the fear which crossed her face. "I told you, it's something I don't want you to wonder about. It's just too dangerous."

For no apparent reason, the lights flickered. As Moira turned towards her son, she watched as he fell to the ground clutching his neck. Suddenly she felt something on her neck before the world dimmed and the name of her son barely crossing her lips.

She woke up restrained to a chair, her wrists and ankles bound by rope. Before she could react, the Hood appeared in front of her.

"Moira Queen, you have failed this city!" came his remark through a voice changer.

Moira jumped. She told herself she had to stay calm to get her son out of this. "Please. Don't hurt my son."

The Hood's growly, scary voice said, "Tell me what the Undertaking is, and I won't have to." He then punched Oliver in the face, bloodying his nose.

She couldn't, mustn't tell him. "No! I can't! Please, I can't tell anyone!"

To her horror Moira watched as the Hood punched Oliver in the face two more times. "Tell me!"

"Please, please, leave my son alone!" Moira screamed, afraid it wouldn't make any difference to this villain.

"What is Malcolm Merlyn planning?" Oliver was punched, hard, in the stomach, causing him to bend over as much as his bonds allowed him.

"I can't tell you. He'll kill me, he'll kill my family."

"You should be more worried about what I'll do." The Hood slugged Oliver so hard his chair fell sideways.

"No!" As fast as she could, she told him Malcolm's terrible plan. "Malcolm's planning to level the Glades. He said it was so he could rebuild it but –"

"How?"

"There's a device."

"What device?" The Hood growled.

"He says it can cause an earthquake."

The Hood walked in front of her, keeping his face shielded from her, as if he was considering what she was saying. "How's this possible?"

"I don't know. It was invented by Unidac Industries. Malcolm used my company's applied sciences to turn it into a weapon."

The Hood relaxed his form, providing Moira a sense of empathy. In a softer voice he asked, "Why would you get involved in something like this?"

"My husband. He got involved without my knowing." Moira let out a breath. "He was simply trying to do some good. He was lost. He… his decisions left me vulnerable to Malcolm and I had no choice. I had to protect my family and my children."

"This device, where is it?" The Hood was back to business being curt and forceful.

"I don't know."

"If you don't tell me, I can't stop Merlyn."

"Oh, you can't stop him. It's too late." In horror she watched as the Hood took a flechette from his wrist guard and walked over to her son. "No, no, no, I told you everything!" Instead of killing him, the Hood simply cut Oliver's bonds. Before she could register it, he had walked over to her and cut her bonds as well. They fell off her onto the floor. He then simply walked out the door.

She ran to her son as he struggled to stand. "Oliver. No. Oh, sweet –"

"Don't," Oliver said, pulling himself out of her grip. He didn't look at her. At all. She could practically feel the hurt and disappointment roll off him as he struggled to straighten.

Moira begged her son as she attempted to catch his eye. "Please, I know what you must be thinking, sweetheart but I never intended any of this to happen." Oliver finally looked at her with a coldness in his eyes she'd never seen before. "You know I would never willingly be a part of anything like this."

Instead of listening to her, her son continued to walk away from her, his head held high, his gaze away from her. "I don't know anything anymore."

To her surprise, by the time Moira had reached the outdoors, Oliver had called for a taxi instead of leaving her behind on his cell phone which their abductor had surprisingly not taken from them. By the time she reached where he was standing on the sidewalk, the taxi had pulled up. Her usually courteous son walked around the taxi and got in instead of opening the door for her. She got into the back seat as well and gave their address to the driver.

When they had reached the mansion, Oliver finally spoke up. "I've some business to attend to, Mother," he told her in a frigidly cold voice. "I'll take the taxi there."

"But Oliver, you should let someone –" Moira said as she attempted to touch his cheek again.

Pulling away he told her, "No, Mother, I'm fine. I'll see you later."

Moira got out of the cab and shut the door without slamming it. She watched it as it drove out of sight. With tears in her eyes, she turned and walked into her home.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Felicity was working on her computers when Oliver limped into the Foundry, blood on his face, a busted lip. She rushed over to him and gently lifted his head at an angle to look at his swollen cheek. "Oh, my God, Dig! You said you were gonna pull your punches."

Diggle exchanged a look with stone-faced Oliver and shrugged. "I did."

Felicity sniffed as she watched Oliver limp to one of the tables and lean against it. "Let me get you an icepack for -" She didn't know which part of him was hurt the most. "For everything."

"I'm fine. I need you to dig up everything you can on Unidac Industries," Oliver said, gesturing towards her chair.

Felicity gave him a small smile and walked quickly to her desk. "Well, we know Queen Consolidated acquired them seven months ago." As she sat down, she said with a larger smile and a bounce in her seat, "It's when we met."

Oliver said in a tired voice, "I need information about what I _don't_ know."

Felicity nodded smartly and read off her screen, "Unidac is a small research and development technology company specializing in seismic infringement."

Oliver considered her words in lieu of what his mother had told them. "Merlyn plans on leveling the Glades with a device made by Unidac which triggers a manmade earthquake."

Felicity said as she watched Oliver pace, "You're kidding."

He stopped and looked at her. "What else does it say?"

"More information on the stock auction and you know the latest, what the media's calling —"

"The Unidac massacre."

"They're saying the Dark Archer was behind the killings." Felicity's eyes opened wide. "So that means - "

"Merlyn's tying up loose ends," Oliver said, finishing her sentence. "Erasing all evidence this device exists so no one can trace the devastation back to him."

"He killed all those people to hide the fact—"

"Yes, Felicity to hide the fact he's going to use the machine they created in his maniacal plan."

"Do we know why he wants to do this?" Felicity asked.

Oliver let out a heavy sigh. "Malcolm's wife died in the Glades years ago. It's the only link I can think of. Mom said he wants to rebuild the Glades."

"So, we know what he has planned, why he's doing it and how. We just don't know when," Diggle stated. Looking at Felicity, he asked, "Can you hack into his computer to find out?"

"Only if I were onsite. And would he really have a schedule on there? Oliver, you said he didn't even let your mom know, right?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah. I think the only way is to confront him personally."

"Well, since he knows who you are, and most likely who we are, and probably where we're at, we should get moving on a plan," Dig said.

Just then Oliver's phone dinged. Grabbing it, he opened his texts. An involuntary gasp escaped his lips. Looking up to his teammates, he held up his phone, showing a bound and gagged Thea. "Too late. I guess he wants me to come to him."

 **AN: Finally, I got this one out, whew! I hoped you liked my remix. Please let me know what you think in the comments/reviews and return when I post the next chapter. Hopefully it wouldn't be near as long as a wait. (Just a reminder, at this point in time, nobody but Moira and her doctor know Thea is Merlyn's daughter).**


	5. Chapter 5: Negotiations

Disclaimer: CW/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this. Some dialogue in this chapter taken from episode 1 x 23 "Sacrifice" written by Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg.

 **AN: Thank you for returning, and for the response of the previous chapter. I'm so sorry for it being so long since I returned to this story. It's been quite a difficult year for me, losing almost everything, including my father, and having to start over. Things are slowly on the upswing, and writing is helping me recover.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter. Things are** **now** **getting serious! Especially Merlyn.**

Previously:

 _"_ _Only if I were onsite. And would he really have a schedule on there? Oliver, you said he didn't even let your mom know, right?"_

 _Oliver nodded. "Yeah. I think the only way is to confront him personally."_

 _"_ _Well, since he knows who you are, and most likely who we are, and probably where we're at, we should get moving on a plan," Dig said._

 _Just then Oliver's phone dinged. Grabbing it, he opened his texts. An involuntary gasp escaped his lips. Looking up to his teammates, he held up his phone, showing a bound and gagged Thea. "Too late. I guess he wants me to come to him."_

Felicity and Dig came over to look at the screen. The text simply read: "Meet me on top of the Merlyn building at 7pm tonight."

"You're not going to meet him, are you?" Felicity asked.

"Certainly not alone, right Oliver?" Dig asked.

Oliver looked like he was trying to hold back his anger. "He has my _sister._ Of course I'm going to meet him. _Alone_. Because those are his conditions."

"But Oliver –" Felicity began.

"What do you expect me to do, Felicity? He'd make good on his threat if I don't meet him."

"What do you want Felicity and I to do?" Dig asked in a lower tone to deescalate Oliver's anger. "Are you sure we, or I, can't just hide near there, in case you need us?"

"And wear a tracker in case he takes you somewhere else and Dig can't follow you," Felicity added, holding his gaze and silently pleading with him to agree with them.

Oliver considered their arguments. Deciding they were valid, and with Thea's life at stake, Oliver had an idea to increase his and his sister's survival.

"Okay, why don't you leave now, Dig? Scout the area good. You should wear a tracker as well." At Dig's look of surprise, Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Just in case," he said, hiding a smile. "Get in place after making damn sure Merlyn isn't around."

"Wearing a tracker is a good idea, Dig," Felicity said. "You never know." Looking at both her guys she asked, "Why don't we attach trackers permanently to both your guys' shoes you wear out in the field?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "We'll discuss it later." Placing a hand on Felicity's shoulder, he asked her, "Why don't you get whatever eyes you can on the area and run continuous facial recognition programs for Merlyn?"

Felicity nodded and began to do so. Dig left and Oliver took a walk around the lair, checking things absent-mindedly while his mind thought through his plans.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

"Dig, you still there?" Oliver asked discreetly as he unlocked a back door into the Merlyn building.

Dig answered in the affirmative and informed Oliver he hadn't seen Merlyn or Thea approach, but of course that didn't mean anything. There might be a secret entrance only he might know about. Dig hadn't found either a secret entrance or any traps in his search of the area.

Oliver decided to take the stairs from the first to the tenth floor, then the elevator to the twentieth floor. He got out and with his skeleton key he opened the executive door to the stairwell.

Keeping his head on a swivel, listening for any noises, Oliver slowly climbed the stairs to the twenty-second floor. He stopped to gather his thoughts for a moment and take a final listen for any betraying noises. Scowling at the lack of sound, which didn't really surprise him, Oliver climbed the half flight of stairs to the roof access door. He slowly opened it. Before he could step out fully onto the roof, Oliver heard Malcolm's voice without seeing him.

"Come on out, Oliver. Your sister and mother are waiting for you."

 _My mother?_ _What the hell?_

Oliver threw open the door and walked out with his bow nocked with an arrow. He walked around the small, six-foot by six-foot access enclosure and observed Malcolm standing a short distance away, with six men in a half-circle standing behind him. Oliver aimed the arrow straight at Merlyn, who was standing between his mother and sister who were tied to chairs. His mother was unconscious, Thea was gagged and attempting to communicate to him despite the hindrance.

"Don't worry, Oliver, I've told your sister about your secret identity. You see, it was a matter of necessity for the rest of my plans."

"You had no right to do that." Oliver continued to aim at Malcolm as he slowly approached the group.

"Of course I did. Now if you'll do several things for me. One, remove the comm link out of your ear and crush it with your foot."

Stopping, Oliver glared at Malcolm but knew better than to argue with him. He did as Malcolm asked, leaving the comms' crushed remains on the ground.

"Second, disarm your bow and place it, the arrow and quiver on the ground."

Maintaining eye contact with his enemy, Oliver removed the arrow from the bow with a flourish and dropped it to the ground. He slowly removed his quiver, knelt down and placed it and his bow beside the arrow. He slowly stood back up.

"Now this is what's going to happen, Oliver. Once your mother wakes up, I'll tell her the terms of my deal. You and Thea are going to be my guests until after the Undertaking."

"Like hell we will," Oliver said without thinking.

Malcolm shook his head slowly. "Tsk, tsk Oliver. You aren't understanding how serious I am, after all this time? Let me show you." He turned to one of the men behind him and nodded. The man, taller and broader than Dig, quickly got behind Thea, got her in a chokehold and pressed a knife to her throat.

Malcolm's eyes bored into Oliver's. "A little messier than I wanted to be, but if you need a message, Oliver –"

"All right! Don't hurt her." At Oliver's words, Malcolm nodded again at the man, who released Thea and stepped back to join the other men in a line behind Malcolm. Thea coughed as she struggled to regain the oxygen she'd been deprived. She caught Oliver's eye and she nodded to indicate she was okay.

"Why take Thea? Why not only me?"

"Always the noble one, aren't you? Or at least lately." Merlyn took several steps to the side and stopped. "She's the lock on your cage, Oliver. I never would've thought you'd grow up to have such remarkable talents. Or spend your nights fighting crime. So I need Thea as extra insurance you'll behave yourself and not try to escape. Unlike the last time you were my guest."

Noticing Thea's expressive eyebrows indicating her confusion and her glance going back and forth between them, Malcolm continued. "You see Thea, your brother has been a real hindrance to my work. I need the Undertaking to occur without any more interference from him."

"Why not simply kill me then? Why involve Thea at all?" Oliver's anger was slowly building to a dangerous level.

"I don't want to take away Moira's only son."

"Too bad you didn't feel the same way about taking her husband."

"That was different. I had no choice; your father changed his mind. Actually, he never was an enthusiastic supporter of the Undertaking anyway."

Oliver filed information in his mind to ask his mother later. Hopefully, there would be a 'later', for all of them.

"And before you ask, Oliver, I never meant for you to be hurt or killed. I'm sorry the experience was more traumatic than I'd ever imagined, given your nighttime activities. However, I need you and your sister to remain alive as incentive for your mother to behave. Otherwise, she might change her mind again about her cooperation. She has suddenly developed some squeamishness simply because a number of people had to be killed for the sake of our plan."

Oliver searched his brain for any news regarding people being killed. He then recalled the news from several days ago of the scientists killed at the Unidac Laboratories. It appeared as though he was correct with this as well.

Thea began to try to speak around her gag again. Swallowing his irritation Oliver asked, "May I please _ask_ you to remove the gag from my sister's mouth?"

"No, not yet. We need to finish our talk first before your mother wakes up."

"What else do we have to talk about?"

"Oh, Oliver, many things. However, first I need to know who else knows about the Undertaking.

"No one else. I barely know about it."

"Really, Oliver? You're telling me you have no one else helping you with your 'mission'?"

"Yes. I have no one else."

"What about the man your mother hired as your bodyguard? Surely you've taken him into your confidence since he's with you most of the time?"

"No, he simply works with me not tell my mother when I 'disappear' from his surveillance sometimes."

"Really, Oliver?" Merlyn cocked an eyebrow at him. "You still wish to stick with that argument?"

Oliver suddenly got a shiver down his back, but without proof he was going to stick with his lie. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Bring him out!" Merlyn yelled to someone behind the roof access enclosure.

Oliver fought to keep his face passive as he watched an unconscious Diggle be dragged out from behind the enclosure by two men. Another man ran in front of them and placed a chair beside Thea. Diggle was lowered onto it and they tied his arms behind him to the chair back.

Merlyn stared at Oliver. "Well, what's he doing here then?" Holding out his palm Merlyn showed the crushed remains of Dig's comm link. "And why did he have this?"

"To stay in contact with me. It was his condition for turning his back to my disappearances."

"Anyone else? No one, say, in the basement of your club?"

With everything within him, Oliver kept his facial muscles passive. He slowly shook his head. "No. no one else."

"How can I be sure you're telling the truth, Oliver? You lied to me about Mr. Diggle."

"He doesn't know anything. He must've simply followed me."

"Good try, Oliver, but then that means he knows you're the Hood. And you didn't know that?" Malcolm gave Oliver a sickeningly sweet smile. "Besides, you're the Hood. You're telling me you didn't know someone was following you? You'd have more of a chance of me believing you're not the Hood at all."

They were interrupted by sounds of Moira waking up. After a few moans, Moira drowsily asked, "What's going on?" before sitting upright. Glaring at Malcolm, she demanded, "Malcom, tell me right now why my daughter and I are tied up and Oliver is dressed as the Hood?"

"Moira, I have the feeling you know why your son is wearing the Hood outfit. You can't tell me an intelligent woman like yourself was unaware her son was masquerading as a superhero." At the indignant grunt from Oliver, Malcolm gave a dry chuckle. "As for why you and your daughter are tied up, it appears your son has been snooping around trying to stop the Undertaking. As I had told you, he knew more than you wanted to believe."

"Malcolm, I –"

"No, Moira, you listen." Oliver's breath caught in his chest as his ears registered the icy coldness of Malcolm's voice. "This is what's going to happen. Thea and Oliver are going to be my 'guests' until after the Undertaking takes place and certain other things are in play. You, meanwhile, will return to your life and carry on like everything's peachy keen. Should I invent a story for you as to where your children are, or can you invent a convincing lie yourself? Perhaps you can say they decided to take a sibling bonding trip to Europe for a few weeks?"

"Malcolm, surely there's no need for –"

"Oh, I beg to differ. Your daughter is young and likes to party. Drugs lead to loose lips. Oliver, on the other hand, has spent much of his time proving how determined he is to stop me. Even to the point of almost dying. Somehow I get the feeling nothing short of death or imprisonment will stop him." The look in Malcolm's eyes turned several shades deadlier. "Should I ask you which of those you prefer for your son?"

Moira exchanged glances with Oliver, who said, "Mom, you're simply wasting breath arguing with him. He's insane and he's bent on –"

Looking at his mother, Oliver failed to see Malcolm quickly reach his side to punch him in the jaw. Thea cried out loudly from behind her gag and Moira yelled to Malcolm to stop. Adjusting his weight, Oliver was able to prevent himself from falling over despite the initial surprise and the ringing in his ears. Remaining silent and moving his jaw to test it for any breaks, Oliver simply glared at the man.

"No quick-witted retort, Oliver?"

Through gritted teeth Oliver said, "I may not be able to stop you, Merlyn, but if you go through with this…Undertaking as you call it, you'll regret it. I'll spend my life making you regret it."

"You're young, Oliver, but you can't beat me. Yes, you're younger and you're faster. Yet you always seem to come up short against me. Remember Christmas? Want to know why? Because you don't know in your heart, what you're fighting for. What you're willing to sacrifice, and I do. No one can stop what's about to come. No one."

"Why are you doing this, Merlyn? Do you really think you're honoring Tommy's mother by destroying the Glades?"

"As surely as you believe you're honoring your father with your hood." Malcolm reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a gun. Pointing it at Thea's head, he said, "Oliver, please join us over here."

Without breaking his gaze on Malcolm still holding a gun on his sister, Oliver did as he was told. Malcolm then nodded to another of his henchmen who approached Oliver and restrained his arms and legs with shackles, securing his arms to his waist and his legs chained together, preventing a normal gait, much less a run.

"It's time to go. And yes, we're now going to have to accommodate a third guest, due to your lack of cooperation, Oliver. Thea's lucky I'm punishing her for you showing up with your friend, like you were told." Not waiting for Oliver to answer, Malcolm nodded to two more men who untied a still unconscious Diggle and carried him to the stairwell. Malcolm allowed the group to watch them leave in silence.

"Now Moira, please behave yourself and your children will survive to see the Glades resurrected into a proper memorial for my wife." Nodding to the henchman closest to her, he said, "Untie her hands. She wouldn't be able to interfere with our departure but will be able to return home shortly on her own."

Oliver stood there waiting for Malcom to lead Thea and him to the car he assumed was down stairs. Searching his mind for escape plans, he considered and eliminated many possibilities in a matter of moments. The lives of everyone in the Glades depended upon him getting out of Malcolm's slimy grasp. Not to mention the need to get Thea away from him as well. However, for the life of him, Oliver couldn't think of a feasible plan yet. And this worried him. Worried him a lot.

 **AN: This chapter is already too long, so I must stop it there, I'm sorry to say. Thank you so very much for returning to this story. The next update shouldn't take nearly as long. I appreciate all comments and constructive criticism. I hope you will leave some. Always appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: CW/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thank you for the terrific reception the last chapter got. Always wonderful to hear. And thanks for sticking with this story despite the uneven updating schedule. Here's the next chapter. Let's see what's happening to the Queen siblings.**

Previously:

 _Oliver stood there waiting for him to be led to the car outside, he assumed. Searching his mind for escape plans, he considered and eliminated many possibilities in a matter of moments. The lives of everyone in the Glades depended upon him getting out of Malcolm's slimy grasp. Not to mention the need to get Thea away from him as well. However, for the life of him, Oliver couldn't think of a feasible plan yet. And this worried him._

Luckily Malcolm called the elevator for their trip downstairs because Oliver wasn't sure how graceful he'd have been walking down the stairs shackled. While they waited to reach the first floor, Oliver sensed Thea trying to communicate with him. He kept his eyes forward because he didn't want Malcolm to overhear anything or think they were planning some sort of escape. It wouldn't have done any good. Yet. But Oliver was certainly keeping eyes open for any possible means of escape which wouldn't endanger Thea.

However, as they were walking outside, Malcolm held Thea by the arm as they took the lead, with Oliver following. Two men with guns were behind Oliver. Suddenly Thea appeared to trip, knocking Malcolm forward. As Malcolm was falling, Oliver took the opportunity to kick the legs from under the men behind him. The siblings ran down the alley to a sidewalk leading to the street in front of the office building.

They had almost reached the street when suddenly Oliver felt himself falling. Someone had come from the side to tackle him, bringing Thea down with him. Oliver caught a glimpse and recognized him to be one of the other guards. Merlin had had the foresight, after all, to have stationed men along the way to prevent their escape.

Malcolm and the other two guards ran up to them. Malcolm was slightly out of breath as he grabbed Oliver by the collar and roughly brought him to his feet. The other two men helped Thea and the other guard up more considerately.

"I must say, you're nothing but persistent, Oliver. And foolish. But I must remind you, I don't need you alive. Thea could very well serve as the only hostage."

"It wasn't Ollie's idea. I was the one who tripped you up, Malcolm," Thea said with a small thrust of her chin.

Oliver tried to step in front of her but was prevented by Malcolm pulling him away. Malcolm grabbed Thea by her upper arm with his other hand and shook her like a rag doll. "I would've thought Moira's daughter would've had more sense than to aggravate me." Looking at Oliver, Malcolm said, "If Thea attempts something like this again, remember you don't have to humor her. Instead be a protective older brother and resist the temptation to attempt another escape. You'll both live longer."

Merlyn released his hold on both siblings at the same time, holding his hands out in disgust, and backed away. He turned to walk towards a plain light blue van. As the guards led Oliver and Thea toward it, Merlyn opened the back door. The siblings observed Dig lying on his side, still asleep. Malcolm motioned for Thea to get in first. Because her hands were still tied behind her, Thea threw a defiant glare at Malcolm as she sat down and scooted backwards until she was completely in the van.

Oliver was about to follow her when he felt a pinch in his outer right thigh. Immediately he began to waver and with his sight blurring, he felt himself picked up and thrown into the van. He could hear Thea's voice getting dimmer as she demanded, "Merlyn, what did you do? What did you give my brother? He better be alright, Malcolm!"

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Back in the bunker, Felicity sat in stunned silence when both her teammates' comms went dead. No way could that be good. She attempted to get them back on, as well as trying to locate any camera which would give her a better view of what was happening. Her fingers rarely flew as fast across the keyboards as they now did.

Finally she caught sight of Oliver and Thea running as a man ran at them perpendicularly. To her alarm she watched as the man tackled Oliver, bringing both Queens to the ground. They were pulled to their feet and quickly led away to a van by Merlyn and his goons. Pushing her nerves down, with luck and skill she was able to get the license plate as the van pulled away and began a search for the owner's identity. She also set up a trace to follow the van.

However, the camera's view ended shortly after that. Felicity let out a string of swear words which might have made even Dig blush when she couldn't find a camera to continue watching the van. She thought for a moment, then proceeded to try some other weblinks looking for another camera which might have a lead. No luck.

Felicity sat back in her office chair and stretched her legs out in front of her. Placing her hands behind her head, she sat there reviewing her options and trying not to panic. She could continue to search for them on camera. She could look for other ways to track the van because her hack into the DMV didn't yield any results as to the owner's identity. She could call and report the kidnapping to the police.

Or would Oliver prefer her to figure out a way to stop Merlyn? They knew what the device looked like. They knew what his plans were. They knew what the device did.

Could she get someone to help her defuse the device? But who? An idea came to her, but she wondered if she dared. Detective Lance hated both Oliver and the Hood, but he seemed to like her. At least he seemed concerned about her when he wasn't yelling at her.

Before she lost her nerve, she called the detective on the 'Hood phone' which Oliver had first given to Laurel. She prayed Lance had kept it after taking it from Laurel.

"What do you want?" Lance's abrupt greeting came through the wires.

"Um, Detective, this is…this is Felicity."

After a pause, Lance said in his usual gruff fashion but much quieter, "I knew you were helping him."

"Um, we really need your help. Can you meet me somewhere and I can tell you about it?"

"Why's your hooded friend letting you take point on this?"

"He, ah, he got taken by…by the Dark Archer."

"He what?"

"And I know who that is, but I need to tell you in person. Cuz you wouldn't believe it otherwise."

Lance agreed to meet her in a half-hour at the coffeehouse near the Bunker. Felicity disconnected the call and breathed a sigh of relief. After sitting for a moment she collected the papers she needed as well as Mr. Queen's journal and hurried out the door. There was no time to waste.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Some time later, a sense of coldness from a hard surface seeped through his clothing and into his bones, drawing him awake. He sensed he was lying on his back. Oliver became more aware of voices talking until he pulled himself out of the grip of sleep and was finally awake. He was still bound by the shackles.

"Dig, he's finally waking up." Someone was shaking him by his shoulders. "Oliver! How are you? Are you all right? You've been out for some time."

His eyelids felt sticky but he managed to pull them open. Thea was crouched beside him, her face showing concern. His heart lurched, as it usually did when Thea was concerned or frightened. Because of it, he quickly attempted his usual nonchalant "Ollie" smile for her. "Don't worry, Thea, I'm fine."

He heard a loud 'humph'. Raising his head, Oliver could see Dig in the cell next door. Even though he knew the reason Oliver asked, "What's that for, Dig?"

"Of course you'd answer like that." A dry chuckle then, "You see, Thea, your brother almost always says he's fine. Unless he's unconscious. Or bleeding to death."

"I'm not that bad, Dig."

"Yes. Yes, you are, Oliver."

Thea assisted him into a sitting position against the cement wall of their prison. Oliver took in their surroundings. It appeared to be in the basement of an older building, with both the floor and walls made of cement. He couldn't hear any outside noises, and what he could see from the several small windows nowhere familiar.

His sister looked at him in silence. After a moment, she quirked an eyebrow at him as she always did when expecting some sort of answer. She never looked more like their mother than when she did that.

"What?" Oliver had a hint of what she was going to ask, but he wanted her to ask any way.

"You know what, Ollie. Explain this whole vigilante business."

"Thea, this isn't a very good time. We have to…."

"I know what you have to do. But first I want an explanation. Why are you even the vigilante in the first place? The brother I had before the island would never do something like that."

"That person was a selfish, immature brat who only thought of himself."

"That's not completely true, Ollie. You weren't selfish. At least not around me. you were a great big brother."

Oliver smiled at his sister. He allowed a rare moment to take in his sister's praise but only a moment. He shook himself out of it and cleared his throat. "Thea, I lied when I said Dad died on the Gambit."

"Wha…what?" Thea's forehead scrunched up as she attempted to figure out what he was talking about and why.

"You see, Thea, Dad made it to the lifeboat, as did one of the crew. We floated for three days without being rescued. We were running out of food and water when Dad…when Dad shot the crewman and then himself."

Thea was actively crying. "Oh, Ollie!"

"But before he did that, he told me he wasn't the man we thought he was. He wanted me to avenge his wrongs. And to survive."

"What wrongs were Dad talking about? What could he have possibly done wrong?"

'I'll tell you everything once we get out of here, Thea. First we got to get out to stop Malcolm."

"How did you develop the skills the Hood has?"

"I'll also tell you that later, but there were various people who taught me how to fight, and different threats I had to defend myself from, over those years."

"Wow. And Mom and I never imagined any of that."

"It was the only way to keep all my loved ones safe. No one could suspect I was the Hood."

"But Lance did."

Dig laughed loudly. Thea's attention turned to him. "Your brother basically set up a scenario where it could be disproved he was the Hood. He set it up and was arrested before letting me in on the plan."

Thea thought quickly. "Don't tell me you were under the Hood that night, Dig?"

Dig raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed by the young woman's intelligence. Oliver smiled. "My sister's really smart, isn't she?"

"She sure is." Dig also gave Thea a smile. "But now, since you have an idea about your brother, I think we should now concentrate on how we get out of here."

"Good point, Digg." Holding up his shoeless foot, Oliver said, "Especially since Felicity has no way to track us. She's probably freaking out of her mind right now."

"I was wondering why Malcolm took your shoes," Thea said. "You both had some kind of tracker in your shoes, didn't you?"

Oliver rolled his eyes at his sister. Releasing a breath, he said, "We really need to think of some way out of here. Anyone got any ideas?"

 **AN: Another chapter posted. Sometimes they flow easily, and sometimes they're stubborn, like this one. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know your thoughts about it and the story. Always greatly appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: CW/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this. Some dialogue is taken from the episode 1 x 23 "Sacrifice" written by Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg.

 **AN: Thank you for returning. It took longer for me to wrangle this chapter under control, but I think I got a good ending planned for this story. It's fun to change canon sometimes even if there's nothing wrong with it. Just to change things up. Thank you for all the reviews and follows, especially the guest reviews.**

 **Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

Previously:

 _Lance agreed to meet her in a half-hour at the coffeehouse near the Bunker. Felicity disconnected the call and breathed a sigh of relief. After sitting for a moment she collected the papers she needed as well as Mr. Queen's journal and hurried out the door. There was no time to waste._

As she walked into the coffeehouse, Felicity was happy to see a fair number of customers. Not too many to make it difficult for her to have a decent discussion with Detective Lance, nor too few to not provide enough cover for their conversation. She stood in the doorway, her eyes roaming over the room until she saw Detective Lance, his back towards the wall, watching her. He nodded his head and rose as she made her way over to him.

"Thank you for joining me, Detective." They both sat down.

"If it were your _friend_ asking, I wouldn't have agreed to meet at all. But since it's you, I know you wouldn't steer me wrong."

Felicity bit her tongue before she could defend the Hood. Now was not the time to try convincing the police detective to change his opinion about the vigilante.

"So your friend is…unavailable."

"Yes."

"Because of the Dark Archer."

"Yes."

"Do me a favor, Ms. Smoak. Can you elaborate beyond one-word answers? I don't have the luxury to be here all day."

Felicity cleared her throat. She might as well just spit it all out. Trying to go slow, but her talking sped up the more she talked. "The Dark Arrow is planning on leveling the Glades. We don't know what the time frame is, but we know how he's going to do it. The reason for the massacre at Unidac Industries was because they'd finished building…."

"A time machine?"

She prevented an eye roll. "Detective, I know this sounds fanciful. It'll only get worse. However, all of it _is_ true."

Lance rolled his eyes but nodded for her to continue.

"They were actually working on a machine which can trigger a manmade earthquake."

Lance cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

"For revenge against a part of the city which he feels took his wife away. The earthquake would destroy the Glades, which he could then rebuild into something better. At least in his eyes."

Lance nodded his head. Felicity didn't know whether to indicate he was understanding her or if it was only for her to continue. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "This person…the man who's the Dark Archer…is Malcolm Merlyn."

"Merlyn? As in the second richest man in town? A respected businessman?"

"Who has been hiding a dark side for years behind the cover of respectability. You must know that, Detective. Or else suspect it, anyway."

"No, I'd rather suspect the Queens for any and all criminal activity instead."

Felicity closed her eyes, head down for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She pulled back her anger as she looked Lance in the eye. "Please, Detective."

Lance looked apologetic. "So do you guys have any proof?"

"Probably nothing which is admissible in court."

"What _do_ you have?"

"Detective, you must trust and believe me. We don't have a lot of time. Actually we don't know the time frame unfortunately for an earthquake to occur."

"Okay." He rubbed at his chin in thought. "What do you want to do then?"

"First I thought perhaps we can narrow down where Merlyn will put the machine. Then…then we can stop it."

"Why can't we just…I don't know, arrest him?"

"Like I said, we don't have any concrete proof."

"ls there anyone we can possibly shake for information?"

Felicity chewed on her lower lip. "Well, there's one person who might be persuaded to tell us what she knows."

"She? Who?"

"Mrs. Queen."

The detective had taken a sip of coffee, which he spit back into the cup. "What? I was just kidding before about the Queens."

"Merlyn and many of his business associates, including Mr. Queen, began planning this five years ago. When Merlyn brought up wanting to actually destroy the Glades, Mr. Queen wanted out. And…"

"Five years ago, huh? Mr. Queen?" The detective's face paled. Felicity knew he was trying to control his emotions. "So supposedly the yacht explosion wasn't an accident?" Felicity watched as his face then turned red. "Are you telling me...my daughter was murdered?"

"I'm sorry, Detective..." Felicity didn't know what to say, partially because she didn't really know the Detective. But also because she felt so bad for him for him to realize something this life changing in such a manner.

They fell into silence, which he broke by asking, "Why don't you call me Lance? I'll call you Felicity, since we're working together on this. I think we're good enough to be on a first-name basis."

Felicity nodded her head furiously. She knew he was trying to change the subject, and she'll let him. They didn't have the time for sympathy right now. They had an earthquake to evade and Oliver, Thea and Diggle to find. "Sounds good, Det – I mean Lance." She cleared her throat. Taking out the small bound notebook, she showed him the design on the inside cover. "Do you know what this is?"

Lance looked at the design, then he looked through the papers Felicity had brought. He held up the subway map. "I think it looks remarkably like this." Picking up a map showing the fault lines in Starling City, Lance covered the subway map with the thinner fault line map. "Look at this, Felicity."

Felicity quickly saw what Lance was referring to. The design in the book, seemingly random, was apparently not. It was a combination of the subway map with the fault lines drawn over it.

"Is there someone we could ask, I don't know, an earthquake specialist in the area? Some professor?" Lance asked. "For advice, or to confirm what we're thinking?"

"I don't know of any, and I don't think we have enough time, Lance. I think we should visit Mrs. Queen quick and see what she can tell us. _If_ she knows more than we do. If not, I think we need to explore this area and see if we can find the machine. And then try to dismantle it."

Lance ran his fingers through his hair. "Are we sure we have no one else to tell this to, who could help us?"

Felicity swallowed her frustration and was able to answer in a normal voice. "You tell me, Detective. Would any of your colleagues believe you with this story?"

Lance shrugged grudgingly. "Guess you're right. I'm still not sure I should believe you, but unlike your green friend, I'd believe anything you'd tell me."

"You know, Lance, he's really not that bad."

"I guess not. He _has_ risked his life for this city more times than I would think if he were simply a nutjob."

Felicity rolled her eyes but remained silent. She'd consider it a win. They had more pressing matters to handle. Looking at the maps and the illustration, Felicity said, "It appears the corner of Wilson and Frank would be the place to put the machine for the greatest effect."

"Why does that address seem familiar to me?" Lance asked.

Felicity quickly plugged it into her phone. She looked up at Lance, her eyes wide with shock. She told him quietly, "That's where Mrs. Merlyn's clinic was located before Mr. Merlyn closed it." She cleared her throat. "And where his wife was killed."

"So that's why Mr. Philanthropist closed it. He didn't want to see it blown up." Lance threw a tip down on the table, rose and nodded towards the door. "Let's go. We'll check with Mrs. Queen and get going." As they walked towards the door, he asked, "I suppose we can't simply call her on the phone?"

Felicity looked above her glasses at him. "You're the expert for getting information from reluctant witnesses. Do you think Mrs. Queen will tell us the truth if we ask over the phone?"

Lance nodded and led the way to his car.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Despite Felicity's insistence, Lance refused to turn the sirens on. He drove to the Queen mansion as quickly as traffic allowed him. Felicity forced herself to sit silently and do some breathing exercises to control her anxiety. She was getting more and more nervous about them trying to disconnect the machine themselves, but she didn't know what else to do. Without knowing where the Queens and Dig were, she and Lance couldn't rescue them. This was their only option.

Lance knew there would be a place to park by the front door, in front of the mansion due to the circular driveway. Once parked, Felicity jumped out of the car. Lance had to rush to get to the door before she did.

Looking at her, Lance asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Felicity pressed her lips firmly together and nodded silently. Lance rang the doorbell and was surprised when Mrs. Queen herself answered the door.

After he explained they were there to talk to her about an important issue, she stepped back and allowed them to enter the grand entryway.

"Mrs. Queen, thank you for seeing us," Felicity said. She was happy her voice didn't quiver.

"Felicity Smoak, correct? And Detective? What are you doing here?"

Lance nodded towards Felicity, who shuffled in place nervously. "May we sit?"

"Excuse me, yes." Moira led them into one of their sitting rooms. She motioned towards two red plush armchairs while she sat across from them on the matching red couch. "What can I help you with? I assume you're not here to arrest one of my children, Detective? My…my children aren't here. They left today on a trip to Europe. They'll be gone…for several weeks."

"Kind of sudden, isn't it, Mrs. Queen?" Lance looked at Felicity, one eyebrow raised in a question. Felicity squirmed in her seat while waiting for Mrs. Queen to answer.

Felicity cleared her throat. Looking around, she got up and shut the door. Rushing to sit back down, she explained. "I don't think you want your servants hearing this, Mrs. Queen." When the woman nodded slowly, Felicity continued. "I know your son and daughter have actually been kidnapped by Malcolm Merlyn. And that he's planning on using a seismic machine to cause an earthquake in the Glades." As Moira's complexion turned an unhealthy gray, Felicity added, "But what we don't know is when is he actually doing this. Has he told you?"

"How do you – ?" Her eyes widened as she was about to speak. "Oh...you work with my son…."

Felicity hurried to interrupt her. "Yes, I do. Occasionally. In the evenings. At his club." Felicity hoped Moira understood that Lance didn't know about Oliver being the Hood and unwittingly give something away. She also hoped Lance wasn't suspicious of her sudden nervousness in answering Mrs. Queen.

Moira gave out a loud sigh. "I'm not sure if Malcolm will tell me. I mean, he hasn't yet." Straightening her posture, she asked, "Why, do you know how we can stop him?

"Well, we don't know where the machines are, and we don't have enough evidence to arrest him. But what we do have is a good idea where he's going to place the machines. At least one machine."

Looking at the petite young woman in front of her, Moira asked, "You mean you're going to help the detective disarm the machines?" Her eyebrows rose. "How do you know there are more than one machine? Malcolm didn't tell me that."

"Yes, luckily I found the schematics on his – I mean, online. There were two listed there. And from what it looks like, if Merlyn wishes to take down the entire Glades, he'd have to have two machines."

Felicity found herself looking into Mrs. Queen's eyes and was taken aback by the look of respect she saw in the older woman's eyes. "You are certainly an impressive young woman, Ms. Smoak."

Felicity felt her face turn red as she began to stammer. She was interrupted however by Mrs. Queen's cell phone. Instead of walking away for privacy. Mrs. Queen stayed sitting. Her next words revealed why.

"Oh hello, Malcolm." Felicity noticed Mrs. Queen's face lose what color it had regained. "I understand." She disconnected the call and looked at her two guests. "He said it will be tonight." She cleared her throat. "I'd recommend calling anyone you care about to stay away from the Glades."

"I guess we're on, Felicity. I hope you know what we're doing," Lance said, looking at Felicity.

 **AN: Well, whatcha think? Does it hold together? Hopefully we'll see in the next chapter what the Queens and Diggle are doing wherever Malcolm has them at. I hope you let me know what you thought, what you're thinking, etc. Always appreciated.**


End file.
